A 501 (c) 3 nonprofit helping families who have a child with a life-threatening, life-limiting, or terminal illness.

Board Members

Jennifer Shoemaker, President

As the architect of The Eat Up A Toe Foundation, Jennifer has designed the organization to represent Bella and the life Bella lead. Bella was a child who lived with enthusiasm and wanted nothing more than to bring joy and laughter to those around her. So from the name of the foundation to the fundraising events, Jennifer has kept Bella’s spirit always in the forefront of her mind wanting everything associated with Eat Up A Toe to reflect her adorable, awesome, and amazing daughter.

When not working on events for Eat Up A Toe, Jennifer likes to read, go hiking and camping, and hanging out with her friends. She also likes to cook and use her friends as guinea pigs whenever she tries a new recipe. So far she has not made any of her friends sick from any of her crazy experiments.

While Jennifer has held many jobs, her favorite has been mommy to Bella. Having Bella issued in a whole new chapter, one Jennifer continues to see unfold before her. As Bella grew and developed, Jennifer saw part of her job as that of coach, pushing Bella to get out of her comfort zone and achieve the goals set for her. Now that Bella is no longer with her, Jennifer feels the roles have reversed – Bella’s spirit now pushes Jennifer to get out of her comfort zone and accomplish things she never dreamt. And somewhere, wherever that may be, there is a little girl giggling at her mommy!

Rod Goodman, Vice President

Rod is the old guy on the board. He prefers you refer to his oldness with the terms wisdom, vintage or classic. So think of him as a classic car rather than an old sock.

Rod and his wife Paige enjoy the simple things in life. You are very likely to find them reading on the front porch or sitting around a campfire with friends. Along with their boys, Caleb & Jeremiah, they enjoy camping, hiking, backpacking, rock climbing and just being outside. Occasionally, though, the boys (including Rod) need their Xbox fix.

He enjoys building collaborations and putting people together to make a difference in the community. He enjoys this part of his work with Habitat for Humanity and looks forward to bringing that same enjoyment to his work with the Eat Up A Toe Foundation.

One of the important things that Bella taught Rod was the simplicity of connecting with those around you. Even if she was mad at you, she knew you were there. So classic (aka “old”) Rod would prefer to sit down and have a cup of coffee with you rather than enjoying the same cup of coffee while reading about your “life” on Facebook.

Rod is thankful for the beautiful people in his life who spread hope, generosity, and joy. He hopes to share these qualities on his journey as well.

Pet Peeves– People with multiple first names, sandwiches, and dogs.

Allen Hartley, Treasurer

Allen is a recent graduate of WKU with a degree in mechanical engineering. He is currently working at Fruit of the Loom where he builds robots to help him engineer underwear for the people of the world. Allen has lived in Bowling Green since 1996 and has spent most of his time playing sports, either real or fantasy, playing music, and generally enjoying the company of close friends. Allen may not be the loudest or most talkative person, but he makes up for it whenever playing drums either for church; his noisy, two-piece, post-beer rock band “Smallhouse;” or just jamming out at home. Allen has an undying love for Cheez-its, except for those gross hot and spicy ones. Roll Tide!

Michael Bland, Secretary

Michael is the youngest member who frequently gets mistaken as a 16 year old and carded for buying R-rated movies. Although he is most often called by his last name, he believes it is a misrepresentation of his personality. Michael spends a large majority of his free time outdoors. When the weather permits, you will see him riding his lime green bike around town enjoying the day. He loves biking, disc golfing, camping, fishing, playing soccer, and croquet. He has an undeniable love for the Cincinnati Bearcats despite living around so many UK fans.